


The Strange Case of Mr. Yoon & Mr. Choi [eng]

by LullabyForACat12



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: High School, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, nurse!Jeonghan, principal!seungcheol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:00:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28217361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LullabyForACat12/pseuds/LullabyForACat12
Summary: Choi Seungcheol is the principal of Cheodong High School. Yoon Jeonghan is the nurse.They meet from time to time in the corridors, greet each other politely and exchange a few words here and there.Nothing extravagant, isn't it ?Well that doesn't stop students from speculating about their relationship. And soon a rumor begins to circulate.Mr. Choi and Mr. Yoon would be secretly in a relationship.
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 8
Kudos: 51





	1. They kissed in the infirmary

Yoon Jeonghan, nurse at Cheodong high school, has a well defined routine.

He woke up every morning, did his breathing exercises for ten minutes then took a shower ; he combed his auburn hair, got dressed and took the bus at 6h10 to be at the school at seven.

There, he did like every student late : run the hill as quick as possible before the main entrance closed.

“You know nothing will happen to you, mister…” said a student, breathing hardly, while they both passed the entrance “if you’re late.”

“I’m doing that to show you all that even adults have to be on time.” He replies, winking.

The truth was that his heart was always pounding harder when he saw the guards banging their wooden chopsticks (always made to intimidate, never to punish) on the concrete of the steep road.

After the hill test, he would arrive in his office, put on his blouse and sit at his desk. And spend the rest of his day sitting there, doing nothing—

"Good morning, Mr. Yoon."

A man in his 30s had just entered. It took only a second for Jeonghan to recognize the cleanly combed black hair and firm eyes with long lashes.

Choi Seungcheol was the new principal of Cheodong High School. He had arrived a months ago and he had captivated everyone. He was a handsome man, cultured and polite; his mother must have been proud of him. And all the women, crazy about him.

Jeonghan got up and gave the man a short salute.

"Good morning, Mr. Choi. What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to ask you to participate in the monthly meeting that will take place tonight. I sent you an email but you didn't reply so I came to see you in person.”

“Oh... Sorry, I don't check my emails every day...”

The nurse observed the principal begin to walk around the small infirmary, study every corner of the room carefully and judge the general state of the place. He didn't like it too much.

"Anyway, I'll come. Thank you so much for coming here.” he said, hoping that the man would stop his inspection. To no avail. The principal began to bypass the office because, for some reason that was completely unknown to Jeonghan, he felt comfortable enough to break through this invisible barrier.

Mr. Choi laid eyes on the blue rabbit stuffed animal on the shelf behind Jeonghan and pointed his finger at it.

He took another step, getting a little closer to the nurse. Unfortunately, he did not see the Jeonghan’s backpack on the ground and intertwined his feet in it resulting in a loss of balance.

He fell on the nurse who narrowly caught up with him.

_Flap!_

The door of the infirmary opened.

"Mr. Yoon, Mina is—" exclaimed a young girl with her friend in her arm. She froze, her eyes wide open, surprised. Suddenly her mouth closed and she began to blush. "S-sorry to bother you sir but...” She seemed to hesitate and it was her friend's complaints that encouraged her to pursue "Mina has a very bad stomachache.”

Jeonghan gently pushed Mr. Choi away and bypassed the desk to help the student place her friend on one of the beds hidden by a curtain. He took the temperature of the teenager and asked her a few questions. He turned to retrieve a heating pad when he realized that the principal had not moved since the accident.

"I will come to the meeting Mr. Choi, thank you," he said simply. The principal instantly understood the message and left.

 _What was that?_ thought Jeonghan. Then he remembered that the final episode of his series was for tonight and wept inwardly thinking that he should watch it later since he had said he would go to the meeting.

* * *

It is not that this kind of meeting was unnecessary but Jeonghan did not see any interest in his presence. He was not a teacher and therefore had no impact or power on the students; he didn't even know the face of most of them and he knew that a rumor was circulating about him (it said he was a ghost that only materializes at the entrance of the school in the morning and in the hallways once the end of the day arrived). And since those who arrived late were always the same, only a handful of students knew about him not being a ghost. And the administration, which preferred to send sick students home without sending them to the infirmary at first, did not help.

In short. Jeonghan was a ghost for the students... and the teachers too, it would seem.

"We have an infirmary?" said one teacher, staring suspiciously at Jeonghan.

"Unbelievable...” another professor whispered as if this information called into question all his beliefs.

Jeonghan looked up at the sky, irritated. _What kind of school does not have an infirmary? Is it even legal not to have one?_

A hand landed on his shoulder and he startled inwardly—because Jeonghan could not startle; his whole being harden and his legs became weak, but he did not startle: there was never visible evidence of his surprise.

"Mr. Yoon has been working here for almost five years now and you didn't know?" said the principal, frowning. "How does that happen? What do you do with sick students?”

The poor man did not know in which school he had set foot...

"He never showed up, sir," explained another teacher, "The administration contacts the parents of the sick student on its own to pick him up.”

“What about those whose parents can't come?”

Silence in the meeting room was the only response.

Mr. Choi did not seem to know how to react and Jeonghan, suffocating under the general embarrassment, decided to intervene:

"I understand that I've gone under the radar, after all the infirmary is at the end of a corridor and no one ever ventures into it." The two girls this morning were only there because one of them were among the recidivist latecomers. "So I thought we could put posters on the bulletin board and in the hallways so that the students would... know that they can come to me if they don't feel well.”

Jeonghan hadn't spoken so much in a long time; he was slightly out of breath.

"It's not a bad idea," one teacher smiled, "And now that we know there's an infirmary, we're going to be able to send our students there too."

Jeonghan nodded. The principal's hand slipped from his shoulder and he turned his gaze toward him. He had not realized that his hand had remained on his shoulder for so long — neither had Mr. Choi, given his expression.

"Good. Now that this is settled, let's move on to the gym topic.”

Jeonghan nodded, looking focused. He still spend the rest of the meeting into his thoughts.

Mr. Choi suddenly spoke a little louder than before and Jeonghan laid his eyes on him. He looked young, probably a little older than Jeonghan. Tall and muscular, a square jaw, not a wrinkle on the face, long lashes and hair styled with application ... He was an attractive man. He looked like that stable, strong man figure that the media liked to portray as the favorite genre of women. He was also to please men; Jeonghan was well placed to know.

 _Is Mr. Choi married?_ he wondered, _Hum... No alliance. He looks like a secret man, it would not be surprising if he removed him before work._

"Isn't that true Mr. Yoon?" said the man he was observing.

Jeonghan stood up a little, blushing.

"Absolutely," he replied, with a voice much more stable than his inner state.

Mr. Choi nodded and then resumed where he had interrupted and Jeonghan returned to his thoughts.

* * *

"Well. Good job everyone.” Mr. Choi said, clapping once in his hands. "Good evening to all of you."

The whole faculty set in motion like a machine and everyone gathered their belongings to leave. A few groups formed to discuss lighter topics, such as Mrs. Kim's cat, which had just given birth to five kittens.

Jeonghan, wishing only to go home and sleep until the following Monday, quietly left the room.

He went first to the exit before turning around; he had to come to his office to clean it. He liked to find it clean on Monday morning but for that he had to order it a little on Friday.

It took him forty minutes to arrive at a satisfactory result -largely because he had fallen asleep, leaning on the broom.

Quietly, he headed down the black hallways of the high school towards the exit. His keys, rotating around his index finger, resonated pleasantly with each of his steps. He arrived in the entrance and had no trouble opening the door; the others were probably still in the meeting room.

He went out and stopped in front of the stairs. He looked up at the sky; almost a full moon.

"Should I take you home?" someone said behind his back.

"Ah, Principal Choi, it's you." although he saw the man a little earlier, he greeted him again "Don't worry about me, I'll take the bus.”

“At this hour? I know you are not used to going home so late, especially for a meeting that only concerned you for five minutes. Taking you home is the least I can do to make amends.”

Jeonghan shrugged.

"There isn't really anything to be forgiven." Mr. Choi seemed to want to insist again, and since Jeonghan didn't really have the strength to continue this exchange any longer, he added, "But I confess that going home in ten minutes instead of forty is very tempting."

Mr. Choi's gaze lit up and the corner of his lips trembled a little, as if he were holding back a smile.

"Good. I lock the door and we can go.” he sounded a little more happy than before; Jeonghan thought he made the right choice by accepting.

They didn't say anything about the whole trip and Jeonghan was relieved that it lasted only ten minutes.

"It's here," he said, pointing to the building next to his —he wasn't crazy, he barely knew the principal, he wasn't going to give him his address (he forgot that the man already had access to this kind of information).

"I live a little further away," Mr. Choi said, and Jeonghan smiled politely. It's not that he didn't care, but a little anyway.

"Good evening, sir.”

“You too.”

Jeonghan gently closed the car door and Mr. Choi gave him a little smile before starting his car.

The nurse waited for him to disappear at the end of the street to go home.

 _What a strange vision_ , he mused, thinking of the principal's face, _even his smile is beautiful._


	2. They have dates at the laundromat in the middle of the night

A rumor had been circulating for a few days. At first, Jeonghan thought he was about two students and so he wasn't interested. Then he realized that the few students he met in the corridors were still whispering when they looked at him. Jeonghan was not ugly, but he was also not handsome enough to be spoken about while blushing; that is why he soon understood that the rumor concerned him. 

He did not know what it was saying but he did not care. As long as he wasn't in danger of losing his job because of it, everything was fine.

Anyway, with this rumor circulating, the students had dropped the idea that there was a ghost haunting the school, had located the infirmary and often came to stay here.

Suddenly, everyone had stomachaches and headaches and his office other times so quiet and pleasant was now only complaint and acne.

Jeonghan had nothing against the students, of course ; he probably would have killed not to go to school. Faking a disease was undoubtedly more reasonable.

"Hello, sir!"

That, on the other hand, was clearly not reasonable.

"Miss Kwon, go back to your class," said the nurse, without turning toward the door.

"But my head hurts!" protested the girl.

Jeonghan gave vitamins to a boy whom he sent back to class as soon as possible, ignoring his laments.

He should consider buying back vitamins; giving it to everyone had a huge impact on his stock.

"I understand that school can be a pain in the— painful sometimes but I don't want to be complicit in your actions. Got it?”

Kwon Mina was a first grader. Ever since she came for a (real) stomach ache, in her friend's arms, she kept coming here. She would always sit on the same bed by the window and sleep under the sun’s ray like a cat until the next hour of class. She didn't usually bother Jeonghan, but he was starting to worry about her school future; it wasn't good to miss so many classes. So he couldn't let her go on like this.

"Sir... Please?” She said softly, sitting on her usual bed.

Oh... He had never heard her so sad.

Jeonghan glanced over his shoulder.

She looked exhausted.

 _How can you have such an expression at your age?_ he wondered, taking a packet of powdered vitamin and a glass of water.

"Take this. " he handed out the cup to Mina "And go to bed, you'll feel better in an hour."

He drew the curtain and went to sit at his desk. He stared mischievously at his computer screen, very dissatisfied with his final decision.

_This is the last time the lets stay, the last time!_

He sighed.

_Does she have problems at home or at school? Maybe she's tired because she studied a lot last night... She doesn't seem to take school seriously enough for that. Wouldn't she be bully?!_

Jeonghan closed the Netflix page of his browser. He was going to conduct his little investigation.

* * *

Jeonghan was a night owl. This was one of the reasons why he had trouble getting up in the morning. Once, when he was still in middle school he had experienced the calm of the night and the feeling of freedom accompanying it and then he had fallen in love with it.

At night, his neighbors spoke less loud and the cars did not pass as often under his window. The dogs were asleep and the insects were whispering. And the streets were full of cats out for a walk.

They were usually the only living things he encountered when he went out to do his laundry. He liked the way they stopped and watched him pass with their eyes piercing before returning to their path once they were no longer worried about him.

 _If only I could adopt one_ , Jeonghan thought, staring at the round and surely soft head of a white and brown cat _, I have to find a new apartment_.

He tightened his grip on the basket of dirty clothes he was holding and went back on his way.

One of the things Jeonghan particularly enjoyed doing at night was his laundry. There was no one that came so late so he could sit quietly at the laundromat and read manga while waiting for his clothes to be clean.

The laundromat was, even if it could not be seen from the outside, very pretty. The floor was covered with pastel pink and white slabs, light wooden benches had been installed against a wall, a long white hard plastic table was positioned in the middle of the room and in front of the wall opposite that of the benches was a line of washing machines placed on top of each other. Some surprisingly healthy plants filled the free wall angles and there was a dose laundry dispenser at the entrance; with a few won, it was even possible to buy a drink.

Occasionally, like tonight, Jeonghan would have a can of iced tea. He had chosen as his reading of tonight a manga that had been advised to him years ago, by a college friend; a story following the adventures of a young boy with extraordinary abilities in search of his father.

 _What devotion..._ He turned the page, frowning. I _hope he’ll slap his father when they finally meet, that's all this man deserves._

The door of the laundromat opened and Jeonghan looked up from his book.

_What the he—?_

"Principal Choi?" he wondered, before recalling that it was not that surprising since the principal also lived not far away.

"Oh! Nurse Yoon. Good evening.”

Mr. Choi filled a machine, started it and circled the table before approaching Jeonghan again.

"What are you reading?”

“A manga.” Stupid answer to a stupid question.

The principal nodded, his hair without gel bouncing a little.

It was strange to see him like that, without a suit. He looked younger and less strict; almost cute, even.

Jeonghan looked down at his book. Mr. Choi's bright eyes and cheerful smile came back to him.

"Do you want to read with me?"

Ah, they were back.

"Why not!"

* * *

  
Seventeen-year-old Lee Jihan, freshmen at Cheodong High School, lived with a tyrant. This tyrant was his older brother, Lee Jihoon, 29, music teacher at Cheodong High School. This man, no matter how small, was the most intimidating being Jihan knew. He was very calm and silent but a look of his could freeze the tallest and strongest man on the spot.

Jihoon knew how intimidating he was and did not hesitate to use his gaze against his fragile little brother to make him do whatever he wanted.

That's why poor little Jihan was out in the middle of the night, two bags of dirty clothes in his arms and an unfortunate hoodie over him against the wind.

"Go do the laundry," his eldest had told him without taking his eyes off the television.

"But, hyung, it's dark...” he had responded, bringing his legs against his bust.

"Nothing's going to happen to you. Go.” Jihoon had only glanced at him, but that was enough for him to stand up and obey.

And here he is now. Outside, in the cold of November, his legs at the mercy of the outside.

Fortunately, the laundromat was not far from their home. He had reached the door in about ten minutes.

He pushed it with his shoulder and entered. He politely bowed towards the two men already present and walked to one of the machines to fill it.

"Who is he?" said one of the men, and thinking that he was talking about him, Jihan turned toward them.

It was there that he recognized, despite the lack of suit and white gown, the principal and the nurse of his high school.

He panicked, bowing his head so as not to be recognized— as if the two adults were bothering to remember each student's face.

"He's one of the main character's friends.”

“Oh.”

“He left on his side to avenge his clan, that's why he only appears now.”

Ah... They were talking about the manga, not Jihan.

He raised his head a little, just enough to see the duo.

They sat next to each other so they could read at the same time. The nurse stood upright, leaning against the wall, and the principal was leaning towards the book, attentive to what he was reading. They were... very close.

They almost looked like... a couple.

Jihan glanced at the wall clock; one o'clock in the morning.

_Did they come together? Oh my God, they came together! Maybe they're roommates... no, not at their age. It means that..._

Jihan felt himself violently blushing.

_It's a nightly date!_

He looked down on his cell phone. An episode of the series he was watching with his brother came back to him.

 _Oh, poor people. Maybe, they have to see each other here because their respective families refuse their relationship!_ Mr. Choi seemed to come from a rich and traditional family, Jihan would not be shocked that they would rather have a progeny than see their son happy.

 _Old people are horrible_! he thought, holding back a sob. _Courage, you two!_

Jeonghan suddenly felt a shiver coming down his back.

Mr. Choi looked up at him.

"Are you cold?”

“No, but... I think someone's thinking about me.”

Mr. Choi stood up, grimacing.

"I think I do too."


	3. They live together with their dog (aww!)

Today Jeonghan didn't want to do anything. This was often the case but now more than usual.

He was a little demoralized, actually. Maybe it was because of the rain that kept falling since he woke up or it was the screams of the neighbors who were still fighting for something insignificant.

 _If only I was working..._ he would not have done much of his day but he would have done it somewhere other than here, at least.

"I hate holidays...”

He lay down on the floor in the middle of his living room and sighed. He turned his head to his terrace; the water had soaked it, fortunately he had brought his plants in yesterday (otherwise he would probably have let them drown because of his laziness).

His phone vibrated, adding more noise to his surroundings and he frowned.

Who could dare disturb him in his despair?

**[Hey hyung! We're going out to the karaoke tonight, are you coming?] > **

Lee Seokmin contacted Jeonghan only for two things: cries for help ("how do you make pasta, hyung?" "What light bulb should I buy for my living room?" "Do you know a good dog groomer?" "You know how to make a body disappear?") or invitations to do karaoke.

They had known each other since high school and, although they had not entered the same bachelor's degree, had gone to the same university. They had been through things together. They didn't see each other often anymore, but it didn't matter; the important thing was that Seokmin did not forget to invite Jeonghan to his wedding when it happened.

**< [What time?] **

**[8pm. Joshua hyung and Seungkwan also come.] > **

**< [OK. I’ll be there at 20:15] **

**[OK :D] > **

Ah, a smiley face. Like the one of... Mr. Choi.

Jeonghan sighed.

It had been a week since the man started to pop up in his mind time to time. He could saw him again at the laundromat under the little warm lights of the garland, his soft hair falling on his forehead and his playful expression... the way his face was close to his when they read together.

Jeonghan grimaced. He could feel his ears heating up.

"Stop thinking about him," he grumbled, standing up. He had to find an outfit for tonight.

* * *

When you are an employee or a student, the good thing is that there is always a time when you can breathe. The end of the day, the weekends, the holidays; always a moment when you can pause your professional life. Yet there is a category of person who is never in peace.

It's the one Kwon Mina belongs to.

The bullied’s one.

Mina was not much different from her classmates. She could blend in the crowd because she was so mundane. Despite this, they had decided that she was not normal and that she deserved to suffer; to see his meal overturned, his school table vandalized, his locker forced, his clothes strangely cut...

And all for something that had nothing to do with her. All because his father was an inmate.

Mina was studying at a prestigious school but it was not thanks to her parents.

His mother, the person who initially supported her family, had died shortly after her birth and his father, a poor fishmonger, had to bring himself to engage in illegal activities to care for his children. And it was when everything started to get better, that the police had arrived at their home to take him away from his children.

Mina was studying at a prestigious school thanks to her brother, who had returned home after twelve years of living alone in the capital to take care of her, had proved to be rich enough to afford it.

She had been so happy when he brought her her uniform and she saw the logo on the jacket. She had been so happy when she had laughed for the first time with someone in her class. She had been so happy when her classmates were ecstatic about the incredible length of her hair.

She had been so much less so when one of them had asked her very much if her father was indeed the criminal that had been talked about in the media two months earlier.

It was on that day, when her usual happy smile had faded, that those she believed her friends had decided that she would be their victim.

The only person who spoke to her was an older student with whom she ate. And it was thanks to this same person that she had found her little piece of paradise: the infirmary.

Mr. Yoon, the nurse, was kind enough to let her stay but she did have not to make too much noise.

And for some unknown reason, there was a certain sense of duty to him that had developed in her.

That is why, when she saw him in the distance, sitting on the ground and completely drunk in the freezing cold of the streets, she dropped the idea of quickly returning home to escort the man to his own house.

"Mr. Yoon?"

* * *

"Hyung!"

Seokmin jumped on him.

"Hyung!"

Seungkwan did the same.

Jeonghan felt his old back crack.

"You want me dead!" he accused, straighten up.

The duo sneered. Someone put his hand on his shoulder.

"At least they didn't jump on you at the same time.”

“Hong Joshua.”

“Yoon Jeonghan.”

The nurse smiled. It's been a long time since he's seen his best friend.

They exchanged a quick hug and then Seokmin pushed them towards the building that housed the karaoke.

"Good evening gentlemen. How long do you want to rent a room?” The receptionist asked, smiling politely.

Jeonghan looked up at the sign showing the rates. Prices had risen since the last time...

"Let's say one ho—"

“Three! Seungkwan said, "One of us will come and paye the difference if we decide to stay longer.”

Jeonghan loved to sing. He adored it, even! But three hours... with those energizers? That would certainly be an ordeal.

"They've renovated the rooms!" exclaimed Joshua, stroking the new sofa in faux-leather. "I love this color...”

Seungkwan chuckled. "Resist temptation, hyung. Saving money for your daughter's studies is more important than a new sofa.”

“It's a weird obsession anyway.” Seokmin commented. Jeonghan nodded.

"Worthy of a rich housewife in a drama. Isn't that right, _ajumma_?”

He dodged Joshua's hand aiming for his head and dropped himself on the couch.

"Well, who's starting?"

Seokmin threw himself on the album and look through it quickly before grabbing the remote control.

"I love this song!" he announced.

They had all been part of the choir of their high school; they were all singers and listening to them sing was always a pleasure. And Jeonghan, a ballad fan, had felt so much happiness when the karaoke screen took on that purple color associated with ballads.

Too bad it hadn't lasted long.

The first notes had resonated in the room and Jeonghan had taken a cold shower.

_Not this song... I hate that song. That shitty song._

He was not a heavy drinker. He wasn't particularly a fan of alcohol but still drank just enough to look chic (at weddings) or relaxed (at parties).

But, following Seokmin's performance and because he no longer had the heart to sing but still wanted to busy himself, he had drink bottle after bottle of soju and the young woman who was constantly bringing back new bottles did not help.

And so, after five hours at karaoke, he was completely drunk.

Joshua quickly left because his daughter had woken up and refused, according to the babysitter, to go back to bed without her father. Seokmin, Seungkwan trapped under his arm, had called a taxi so they could go home.

"We can ask the taxi to take a detour to bring you home if you want.”

“No thanks, I'll be fine. I'd rather walk.” Jeonghan replied, his mouth pasty. "I really live not far away. Hurry home, you look dead.”

“OK... Good night, hyung.”

“You too, Minnie.”

Jeonghan waited for the taxi to be out of sight to sit on the ground.

He sighed. This evening did not go as planned.

His evening had been ruined for something as stupid as a song. All because he still couldn't digest the breakup with his ex.

 _I'll stand up in five minutes_ , he thought, putting his chin on his lap. _Five minutes..._

"Mr. Yoon?"

Ah shit, there was more contrarieties.

If Mr. Choi found out that he had been caught completely drunk by some students, he would lose his job.

"Mr. Yoon, are you asleep?”

“No.” He stood up, "I take a break, my evening walk has exhausted me.” He lied. He glanced at the student to see if she believed him. "Ah, Kwon Mina. It's you.”

Ok. False alarm. His career was safe.

"Please help me get up." She grabbed him under the arm and pulled with all her might. "Great, thank you."

Before she could move away, he skilfully grabbed the back of her sleeve to hold her in place.

"I warn you, if you tell anyone that you saw me in this state, I will denounce you to the disciplinary board." He threatened. It had been a long time since he had done this, but he found himself doing rather well.

However, it did not return the way he expected. On the contrary, she laughed.

"You're sweet," she said, arranging her coat. "Come on, I’m taking you home.”

“What?”

“Have you seen your pretty face? Who knows what could happen to you!”

_what? what?? what???_

"I refuse—"

He almost fell and she barely caught him.

"Yeah, okay...” he gave in.

When he told Seokmin that he did not live far away, it was not a lie. They had been walking for only five minutes and he could already see his building.

"Why did you drink like that? You are a doctor, you know it’s dangerous.”

“I'm not a doctor... And I wouldn't have drunk that much if Seokmin hadn't sung that stupid song.”

Mina frowned.

"That seems light to me as a reason."

Jeonghan imitated her.

"That's the song he was singing all the time, that ass— bad man.”

“A difficult break up, I see. I didn't think someone like you could be single.” she paused to take a breath. The slope leading to residential buildings was steeper than it appeared. "But hey... you should not drink because of that bastard ("language, Miss Kwon."), on the contrary, you should show him how much better you are without him. Imagine if he had found you like this, you would have been ashamed. While if you meet while you are well dressed, put on yourself and happy, he will be the one ashamed. He'll even feel stupid to have—"

“Fuck the neighbor.”

“Oh wow... yeah, OK. He will feel stupid having fuck the neighbor.”

Jeonghan gently pinched the student on the shoulder.

"Stop saying bad words.”

“I just repeated what you said!” She cried, offended

"That's no reason!”

“Yah!”

He hit her on the top of her head.

“'Yah!'?! Respect your elders!”

She pouted.

"You're not funny. If you continue, I will abandon you he—”

“Nurse Yoon?”

The duo turned to the new voice.

Choi Seungcheol stood at the top of the slope, arms folded on his torso and looking very displeased. His dog, a big hairy beast that made Jeonghan wince, barked once, pulling impatiently on his leash.

"P-principal Choi!" said the nurse and the high school student at the same time.

The man frowned even more when he realized that the young woman accompanying his neighbor was rather a young girl.

He crossed the few meters that separated him from the two and grabbed Jeonghan's arm making the later grimace.

"Mr. Yoon is not feeling well, Mr. Choi," Mina said, grimacing at the principal’s violence. She knew he was getting ideas.

"You shouldn't accompany a man home, young lady. Go home, I'll take care of Mr. Yoon.”

She hesitated to retaliate but opted for a strategic withdrawal. She greeted the two men and quickly left for her home.

"We're going home," she heard, before finally going down the slope.

_I have to tell what just happened to Bora!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey ! I hope you liked this chapter :D
> 
> I'm happy I could write a little bit more about Mina, she's an important character that I already like a lot. Bora is her friend who is very talkative and the one that spread the rumors (but against her will, she is very very very talkative ^^').
> 
> Thanks for the comments and the kudos <3


	4. Smells like break up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeonghan is embarrassed. Mina is angry. And Seungcheol, well... he is trying his best.

Jeonghan put her head on her desk and closed her eyes. He was screwed.

"He hates me... What had it taken him to drink so much?! He had certainly fallen in the esteem of Principal Choi.

"Mr. Yoon?"

"Not now, Mina. I'm trying to digest the shame stucked in my stomach."

"What are you talking about? About what happened with Mr. Choi, right?"

He cried in his arms.

"Don't worry! I'm sure he's already forgotten." She sounded anything but sure.

He sighed. All he had to do was never leave his office. He should act as quiet as a mouse. Make himself forgettable. 

  
"You just have to talk to him about it. Explain everything to him." She sat down on the usual bed and shruged her shoulder as if she had found the solution to all Jeonghan's problems.

  
"Anyway, considering how everyone's only talking about the two of you, I don't think he'll really have time to think about that."

"About... the two of us? Who are the two of us? What do you mean, the two of us?!"

  
She made a small grimace and he knew that he would not like what was to come.

"Well... Everyone thinks you and principal Choir are together."

He became silent.

  
The information took a moment to reach the nurse's brain.

"Sorry?" he replied as calmly as he could.

"It's not that absurd, you know. The first time we saw each other, it was literally all over you!"

"He stumbled!"

"On what? Your beauty?"

He stood up, blushing.

"Are you hitting on me... for him? »

Mina shrugged.

"Maybe."

Jeonghan didn't know what he had done in an inner life to get to this point.

"In short. Don't worry too much about that. Just know that you'd make a great couple together."

She lay down on the bed and pulled up the sleeves of her winter uniform a little to let the freshness of the infirmary cool down her skin. A few bruises appeared to Jeonghan, who frowned. He didn't like to see them and he wasn't going to like any more what he was about to do.

"Mina?"

"Mr. Yoon?"

"Will you tell me where these bruises come from? Please?"

"Can I lie?"

Her voice was smaller, less confident than usual, and he instantly hated himself for addressing the subject.

"I need you to tell me the truth. And if it has anything to do with the fact that you come here a lot."

"If I disturb you, you should tell me, sir. You don't have to take that kind of detour, I won't be offended."

"Mina." he scolded.

The girl tapped the bed in exasperation and then stood up. She seemed extremely upset.

"Yes, I am being bullied and yes, I come here to escape."

The bell rang and Mina jumped out of bed.

"On that, I'm leaving."

She grabbed her bag and left the room, not failing to slam the door to show her displeasure.

Jeonghan opened his eyes wide. He had never seen Kang Mina angry. In his imagination, she didn't know anger.

"Well..."

It didn't go the way he had hoped...

* * *

The problem with working in a high school is that you never have a moment of respite. There, for example, it was twenty o'clock, there were no students in the school for a good hour already and yet Jeonghan could not just leave the school to go home.

No.

He had to go to eat with his colleagues first.

Because it's in the label of the right employee. What Jeonghan is. Of course.

And because he's having a hard time saying no, too.

He was walking at the back of the small troop that moves noisily down the street. Because he'd probably break the arm of the first teacher who would dare put it on his shoulders.

It was cold. He wanted to go home. But he couldn't.

And that was hard to live with, believe it.

"We're here!" exclaimed an English teacher.

He could not ignore prinipal Choi's gaze on him. He knew he was judging him. That the scene of the day before was turning in his mind.

Even when they sat around the tables and everyone started to eat and chat loudly Mr. Choi was still looking at him.

Jeonghan had to do something! _The bottle_!

  
He grabbed the green glass and turned to the principal. He notified the bottle. Silently Mr. Choi raised his glass and Jeonghan worked to fill it.  
Seungcheol turned to him in order to be back to his older neighbour on the right, then drank quickly his glass of soju.

Jeonghan watched him closely. His head high, his jaw appeared more square-ish and his Adam's apple more visible. He followed the movement of it with his eyes and then lowered them. He had not wanted to fix it; he could not help himself.

The principal moved. Jeonghan gathered all his strength to look up. He watched Mr. Choi took the bottle and fill Jeonghan's glass.

"Drink," he said simply, and Jeonghan executed instantly.

The silence returned between them.

The rest of the faculty didn't notice anything. Even the guy next to them was singing loudly with a geography teacher.

"I'm sorry you saw me like that last time," the nurse said softly.

Mr. Choi turned his head briskly towards him, looking ruffled.

"Not here. Let's go out."

He got up and left the restaurant. Jeonghan waited a few moments and did the same. Outside, he found the principal leaning against a wall, a cigarette in one hand and a lighter in the other. A little reflexively, Jeonghan put his hand on Mr. Choi's to prevent him from lighting the stick

The man didn't say anything. He merely put it back in the inside pocket of his jacket.

"I don't understand."

"What ?"

The principal frowned, reflecting.

"You looked responsible. Still, I discover you with one of our students in the middle of the night. How could you-"

"Oh my God, I will never do anything with a student! She was helping me get home. You saw very well that I was drunk ..." he sulked at the end. The principal thought so little of himself that he had indeed jumped on this conclusion, eh... So little for trying to make buddy-buddy with him earlier in the year...

"You..."

"We just bumped into each other. I was unable to walk and she just felt sorry for me. I'm not that kind of person."

Jeonghan looked up at Mr. Choi. This one no longer looked cold but embarrassed and clumsy as when they had met at the laundromat. He was blushing too. It was pretty.

"I'm really sorry, Mr. Han. I don't know what took on me to jump on such a conclusion. I should have asked you what had happened instead of taking you home without saying or asking anything..." 

"That's right! But anyway." Jeonghan shrugged, "Now it's okay. And I... will go home now. Good evening, sir."

He greeted Mr. Choi and went back to the restaurant to pick up his belongings. Honestly, this discussion had cut off his appetite a little.

He pretended to have a headache so that his colleagues would finally let him go and then he gave a general salute.

"You're going?" he was asked behind his back. He turned around.

Mr. Choi. Again.

"Well yes," replied the nurse, raising his bag to eye height.

Mr. Choi looked at him, then looked up at the sky and then at Jeonghan again and then blew a good blow.

"Wait for me!"

He did not give Jeonghan time to say anything. He went back inside and came out with his jacket and his own bag.

"Let's go!" he said with a smile.

"No, sir," Jeonghan refused. Why did the source of his embarrassment refuse to leave him alone? Would he ever see again the calm that anonymity offered him before? "I'd like to go home alone, please."

Mr. Choi looked down at his shoes. Then he looked up and simply nodded.

"I understand. I'm going to... leave in a quarter of an hour then."

Jeonghan greeted him one last time and hurried away. Mr. Choi went back inside.

None of them noticed the mathematics teachers leaning against the storefront, cigarettes in their mouth and eyes wide opened in shock.

**Author's Note:**

> The title of each chapter corresponds to the rumor that will circulate after the events that took place in the chapter. For example: "1. they kissed in the infirmary" because that's what the girl thought she saw when Choi fell on Yoon in the first chapter.


End file.
